Seed Starting: Ghetto Greenhouse

Growing from seed can be rewarding and a cost effective way of expanding your garden. Depending on the plants it can often times be cheaper than buying a plant at your local garden center. While big box stores can be cheaper than buying at a specialty nursery sometimes the variety of plants can leave a lot to be desired. To avoid the "McGarden" look, acquire seeds; on-line, through catalogs, seed exchanges and the seed rack of your favorite store and start them yourself.

Home Made Greenhouse

When starting out with growing from seed it's easy to go way get caught up and buy everything on a shelf to help you grow from seed. One of the things that I always want to buy are those plastic mini-greenhouses for seed starting. The thing that keeps me from buying them is the small size and usually the price.

I guess I'm too cheap to spend the money on them, so like many people before me I decide to make my own. The one in the photos attached is made from an ordinary soda bottle I cut in-half, poked drainage holes, filled with soil and added seeds to it. The top I just slid inside the bottom half to close the bottle back up. I know some people use tape to seal it but I don't find it necessary. If you cut a few vertical slits along the rim of the bottom half it will make it easier to slide the top half down.

What you end up with is basically a little seed starting greenhouse that works just as well as the ones you buy at the garden centers but it only cost you about a dollar. The money you save you can spend on more seeds, pots, soil etc.

I leave my tops off of my home made greenhouses, and I find that even with the top off enough humidity gets trapped while allowing air circulation. No need to constantly be venting like with the commercially available ones.

I've added a picture of what the seedlings look like inside. The seedling you see are mixed Scabiosa seeds I traded for.